Last One Standing
by AmJay5785
Summary: Elizabeth is forced into marrying a man she doesn't know, Sonny Corinthos. When her husbands best friend, Jason Morgan, comes back to PC, Elizabeth's world turns upside down. Will Jason's return pose a threat to this not so happy couple? AU Liason
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"You can't make me do this."

Feeling tears threaten to spill past her stinging eyes, Elizabeth Webber turned away from her father, her back stiff, her arms hugging tight around her middle in an attempt to hold herself together. He was asking too much of her. For a man she practically despised, for a man who was never there for her when she needed him the most, he was asking the impossible.

And all in the name of family.

Where was his family loyalty when she was a child and had nightmares that made her wake up screaming? He wasn't there; he was never the one to come into her room and hold her or look under her bed to make sure the monsters were gone. He wasn't that type of father. Instead, he sent the guards in—though she loved them dearly—they weren't her father, the man she looked up to as if he were greatest man alive.

That vision of her father, that all powerful vision of him beginning a hero, died quickly when she grew up. It wasn't until she turned sixteen when she finally noticed what a violent monster he was. She had woken up in the middle of the night, wanting a midnight snack or whatever it was, she couldn't remember, when she heard someone moaning in pain. Scared, curious, Elizabeth had searched out the sound, tip toeing through the house and down the grand staircase.

When she had finally located where the noise was coming from, she stopped dead in her tracks, seeing too much for her innocent eyes through the crack in the doors that lead to her fathers study. There her father stood, along with his guards, her friends, over a bleeding man. He was begging them to spare him, to let him live, and her father had smiled… _smiled_ at the sobbing man.

Something in the back of her mind had told her to walk away, to forget what she was witnessing, but she didn't… _couldn't_ move away. One of her father's men had grabbed the broken man by the back of his neck, hauling him to his feet as her father raised the gun, his grin widening.

Elizabeth was shaking by that time, her legs barely holding her up as her hands pressed hard against her mouth. She closed her eyes too late, seeing the mans blood splatter against the marble floor of her fathers study before his body fell limply, falling into the pool of his own blood.

An endless pool of black that continued to expand.

She could never break that image from her mind.

Her life had never been the same after that moment. Her father never knew she witnessed that moment because she had run straight to her room, sobbing silently. She had heard rumors growing up, about her father's business, but she had ignored them. He was her father, her hero. She had finally seen the truth, though and after that moment he was the monster the rest of Port Charles claimed him to be.

And she never was able to look at him the same.

Especially… Elizabeth shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the present. If she thought about her mother, she would lose it.

The air around her choked her, but she still breathed in deeply, needing as much strength as she could muster to face her father again. Turning, chin lifted, shoulders squared, Elizabeth glared straight into his cold, unfeeling eyes. "I won't do it."

He stared for a moment, his eyes turning sad. She ignored it, not allowing herself to drop her defenses. "Elizabeth," Jeff Webber stepped forward, looking like the man she had always thought he was when she was a child. Handsome, bigger than life. Aside from the slight graying at his temples, he still looked just as handsome as ever. "You need to think about this."

Backing away from him, feeling shivers run up and down her spine as she stepped in the exact spot as the nameless man died in all those years ago, Elizabeth shook her head. "There's nothing to think about."

"This is a matter of life and death, sweetheart."

She closed her eyes at his endearment. How she longed from him to call her sweetheart or honey, or even his little girl when she was a child, but it was too late now. Everything was too late.

She couldn't look at him, not when his stance showed that he was in power and his expression practically begged for her cooperation. It was a lie, it always was. He didn't love her; she was never the son he had always wanted. "This is my _life_."

Her father moved forward again, only able to grasp her shoulders because she was too tired to move away. He was sucking the energy out of her with this life changing "favor."

"Just listen to me," he scolded slightly. "With this merger I can double my forces, we won't have to worry about the danger anymore, I can probably retire and you'll never have to worry about when you'll get the phone call that I'm dead."

She winced. During an ugly argument with her father three years ago she made the mistake of telling, no, screaming at him that she worried about that exact phone call. It had been a mistake to show him that weakness, for now he used it against her whenever he could. "And all I have to do is give up my life?" she whispered in disbelief, blinking back tears.

Elizabeth could see the anger enter her father's expression. Her own burrowed in pain as he tightened his hands around her arms, squeezing tightly before shoving her away from him. She bumped into one of the many bookcases that lined his walls.

"I never thought you could be so selfish, Elizabeth!" He screamed his face turning red with rage. No matter how many times she witnessed this very rage screaming from within him; it still scared her to the point where she shook.

"Selfish…?"

He cut her off. "Do you know how many lives you could save? The Deluca family has been sending threats to this family for years. Think about your mother."

"Do not," she advanced on him, not knowing or caring where her nerve came from, "use her in this."

"It's Deluca's fault that she's gone, this is our chance to pay him back."

"I'm not interested in revenge!"

"Did she not mean anything to you?" Jeff tilted his head to the side, his eyes squinting.

"How dare you?" Elizabeth let out on a breath, feeling utterly destroyed. "I loved her more than any one. She was my mother!"

"Then do this for _her_," he stressed, seeming almost giddy in his new approach. "Don't make her death worth nothing. You hate the violence, so do something to stop it. This is your chance to put an end to everything you hate the most."

This couldn't be the only way, Elizabeth thought, covering her face with her hands. Her father could tell she was weakening. "Agree to this, Elizabeth. It's the right thing."

The walls were closing in on her, her breath coming out in gasps. She removed her hands, looking around his large study, loathing everything about the room. She used to hate it because he would spend most of his time there. When she would try to climb onto his lap, he would always turn away from her, telling her to find her mother. He was always too busy.

This was the exact place she lost her innocence of a teenager upon witnessing that mans cruel death. And now, now this room was going to be the place where her entire life changed again. Nothing was ever going to be the same.

She walked around his desk, touching the top with the tips of her fingers. Is this where he held his guns? She questioned silently as she passed the desk drawers. Standing behind his large leather chair, she looked out at the dark sky through the large windows that lined the entire wall. She placed a hand against it and frowned at the weird texture. She turned her head so he could only see her profile. "Who is this right for? You?"

"Partly." She couldn't see him, but she could hear the shrug in his voice. "But, like I said before, if you do this, all the violence you claim to _loathe_ will… vanish."

Elizabeth wasn't that naïve. "And all I have to do is marry some man I don't even know but hate already."

"How can you hate him? You haven't even met him."

Turning around, Elizabeth focused her gaze solely on her father, the rest of the room vanishing around him. She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes, spilling past her lashes. She didn't stop them, didn't even blink. "He's in this business. That's enough."

"I'm sorry it has to be this way." When she snorted, he narrowed his eyes. "You may not believe this, but I _am_ sorry. Do you think I want my little girl to give up her life?"

He sighed regrettably, ever the actor.

"But there's no other way. The only way we can gain power and stay safe where no one would dare try to attack us in any way is to form an alliance. The only way to form an alliance is to you have marry into the Corinthos organization. I've already spoken to them and after a long and tiresome _talk_; we've come to an agreement."

Her head tilted forward, her chin resting on her chest. Sniffing, Elizabeth straightened. She could feel herself giving up, telling him yes. But she had to keep trying; she had to find a way out of this. She opened her mouth.

Her father beat her. "If we could have done this three years ago, your mother would still be alive. Think about her, Elizabeth. Think about how much she would want for there to be peace in our lives. Think about all the innocent people _you_ could be saving from the violence of this life."

"If it weren't for men like you, there would be no violence." She whispered coldly, her eyes shooting daggers at him. He looked alarmed for a moment before he composed himself, like he always did.

She could feel her chest constrict at what she was about to say. She had to swallow several times just to form the words. Her throat hurt so much, her stomach tying in knots, that when she actually said the words, it didn't sound like her.

It was like another person was speaking for her.

"I'll do it," she rasped, letting her father know with her eyes that she would never… _never_ forgive him for this.

"I'll marry Sonny Corinthos."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_3 months later…_

Stepping off the elevator of the Harborview Towers, Jason Morgan paused before he made his way to his best friend's penthouse. It was strange being there, he admitted to himself with a shake of his head. So many years had gone by since he had last been in Port Charles; let alone standing outside Sonny's penthouse.

As he raised his hand to knock, he had to admit to himself that he never thought he would be back there. Leaving Port Charles five years ago had been both a blessing and a mistake. He had been ready to leave the mob life all those years ago, and with the help of Sonny, Jason was actually able to live a normal life for a while.

He didn't have to worry about the people around him getting hurt just because they were standing two feet away from him. He didn't have to continue to look over his shoulder—though he did the first year away from Port Charles. He was able to be just a normal guy… who happened to own a couple of guns just in case.

It had been nice coming and going as he pleased, not having to check in with Sonny every other hour because he was following someone or finishing up a job. Jason liked being out of the mob, though he had missed Sonny and his old life at times.

Being a man who had woken up at the age of Twenty-one with no memory of who he was, Jason had grown to depend on Sonny. When the older man had taken Jason under his wing, bringing him into his life, Jason had been grateful. Sonny had given him a life and a purpose and Jason would always owe him for that.

He had felt bad, leaving his best friend without his enforcer, but Sonny had assured him that it was ok, that he needed to leave since the mob threats were hitting too close to home. Jason had agreed at first and hated leaving, but once he got use to the idea, he began to enjoy himself, he even relaxed.

And that's when he met her.

His chest tightened as Jason stepped away from the door, not ready to see Sonny just yet. He had been such a fool to think that they could make a life together. It had started out as fun, just the two of them hanging out together while they enjoyed the others company. Then their feelings began to grow to the point where Jason knew he had fallen in love with her.

Scrubbing his face, Jason pushed those thoughts aside, not allowing himself to go there, to think about her and all that he had lost that fateful night. She was gone and he would never see her again.

He stepped forward, finally knocking on the door. He heard someone moving around before the door swung open and he was enveloped in a bear hug.

"It's good to see you man," Sonny said as he patted Jason's back before pulling away. "I wasn't expecting you."

Following Sonny into the apartment, Jason smiled slightly at the sight of his friend. "It's good to see you too," he nodded, accepting the beer Sonny handed him.

"When did you get in?"

"Last night," Jason answered, shaking off his leather jacket and throwing it on the back of Sonny's chair. "It was too late to come over, so I just rented a room at Jakes."

Sonny nodded, taking a sip of what looked like water. That caused Jason pause. His friend always had a brandy in his hand, no matter what time of day it was. "Why didn't you call me, I could have told you that your penthouse is ready for you to move back in."

"I thought Zander was living there."

"He was. He's a good kid and he's been helping me out these past two years, but I need my right hand man living across from me."

That got a chuckle out of Jason. "I'll move in tonight."

Sonny moved to sit next to Jason who had sat down on the burgundy couch after he walked in. He rolled his glass between his two hands and Jason couldn't figure out why Sonny drinking water confused him so much. Maybe it was because Sonny didn't drink water ever since his wife Lily died all those years ago. Losing her had been the hardest thing Sonny had ever gone through. He had come close to breaking down completely and had never been the same since then.

Jason hadn't seen him that much in the five years since he had left, but they still talked, and Sonny did come to visit him every couple of months. In all that time, he had never changed. Jason could always see a sadness about the man, a slight depression and anger that never quite left him after Lily died.

But in the five minutes he'd been home, Jason saw Sonny smile more than he ever did before. He seemed… happy. It was good to see him that way. Out of everyone Jason knew, he believed that Sonny deserved happiness the most. After everything he had been through and everything he had done for Jason, all Jason wanted was for him to be happy.

"You can stay there tonight," Sonny interrupted his thoughts. "But you have to get all of your stuffed moved in there sooner or wait until tomorrow. Now that you're home I want you to come to the Five Families dinner tonight. I need you there to show them that your back for good and that I accept you back."

Jason sighed into his hand, placing his beer bottle down on the coffee table. Though he had been out of the life for the past five years, he recently began to make his way back as Sonny's enforcer, tracking down and killing a man who placed a bomb at one of Sonny's warehouses eight months ago. It was his first assignment back as Sonny's enforcer even though, at that time, he was only doing it as a favor to a friend. When he had accepted the job, he had no intentions of getting back into his old life. But now… after everything that happened, it didn't matter anymore.

He was ready to get back into this life and do as much as possible to keep him busy.

But he hated the thought of having to spend the night at The No Name, having dinner with the Five Families. He was a behind the scenes kind of guy, never one to dress up for the meetings to negotiate properties. That was Sonny's thing.

Jason was the muscle behind the negotiations.

"I know you don't want to, but I'd like you to be there so you can finally meet my wife."

Jason's head snapped up, completely forgetting that his best friend had been married a couple of months ago. He had thought it was a bad idea at the time, when Sonny had called him with the details. But Sonny had reassured him, telling him that he wouldn't go through with it if he didn't think it was a good idea.

Apparently, a small mob family needed some protection and the only way to make it valid within the Five Families eyes was for a merger, which meant a marriage. Sonny, being the mob boss and the only relation to his organization, was the only one who could marry Jeff Webber's daughter.

Jason still felt like it was a bad idea for Sonny to sacrifice his freedom to marry a girl who was most likely ten years younger than him. But now, looking at Sonny and seeing his happiness, he couldn't help but think that it might not have been that bad of an idea.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I wasn't there for the wedding."

Sonny shrugged, shaking his head. "Max was more than happy to fill in as best man."

"So you're… happy with the marriage?"

Sonny grinned so wide, Jason got his answer. "It was the best decision I've made in a long time. I wasn't going to go through with it at first. When Webber admitted to me how young she really was, I was going to back out right away. But then she walked into the room…" Sonny trailed off, whistling slowly.

"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And pure, too." Sonny chuckled, looking off at nothing. Jason could almost bet that he was imagining his wife. "When she walked in through that door," he pointed to the entrance of his apartment, "she was so shy and timid. She was looking around so nervously I could tell she was afraid of me."

"I don't blame her," Jason laughed, joking.

Sonny ignored him. "The second I saw her I knew I wanted her. But when she walked over to me, I could see that she was shaking and I told her that we didn't have to go through with it. But then she smiled so brave and said that she would marry me."

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Sonny swallowed, looking away. "You'll like her, Jason."

If she was able to make Sonny act like this, like he was the happiest man in the world, Jason had no doubt he'd like her.

"Look at me, man," Sonny chuckled as he stood, making his way back to the bar. Jason watched as he poured himself another glass of water, not even looking at the other pitchers of liquor. "I've been married to her for three months and I'm acting like this. I can't help it, you know? She's just so funny and sweet." He ended, moving his head back and forth on each quality.

"I think I'm in love with her."

Because of Sonny's past and his unwillingness to trust anyone or let another woman in, Jason knew that Sonny meant what he was saying. She might be young, but Sonny's wife had changed him for the better and Jason was grateful to her.

Nothing could get in the way of their happiness, Jason thought.

It would ruin Sonny.

* * *

Elizabeth stood in front of the full length mirror in her room. She nervously patted down her hair several times as she scrutinized her appearance. She wore a long navy blue dress that hugged her curves and tied at the back of her neck with a thin string. It felt so good against her skin and looked good too, she admitted to herself with a girlish smile.

The dress stood out against her pale skin and Elizabeth had to admit that it was a nice contrast. But no matter how nice she felt she looked, it still didn't ease her nerves.

Sonny had stopped her after she came home from her shopping trip with Emily, the only girlfriend she had met since marring Sonny. He was smiling, like he always was and told her that he had a surprise for her. She was to meet his best friend tonight, which should have excited her but only caused her nervous stomach to churn even harder. She hadn't heard much about Sonny's friend, but from the excitement her husband showed in his expression, she knew this was important to him.

Just like acting like a loving couple in front of the Five Families was important.

The smile that touched her lips died slowly at the thought of walking into the restaurant on Sonny's arm, acting the perfect mob wife. She didn't hate Sonny; she actually liked him because he had been so good to her ever since they married. What she hated was being in this situation, marrying a man she didn't love while she loved another.

Closing her eyes, leaning her head against the cool surface of the mirror, Elizabeth berated herself, getting so angry at even thinking about him. It was over, it had been for a long time, there was no sense in thinking about what might have been, what could have been.

It was over and too late.

She straightened, her resolve and her body, mentally nodding at her willpower to make it through the night without messing up. Sonny was depending on her and—since he wasn't the monster she envisioned him to be—she had to go through with this.

It was the reason she was in this situation in the first place.

She had to marry into the biggest organization so no one would dare try to come after her family, thus the violence would end.

She stiffened as Sonny knocked on her bedroom door before opening it slowly. Through the reflection of her mirror she saw him stop after he entered, his gaze moving over the length of her.

"Wow…" he breathed, stepping the rest of the way into her room. "You look beautiful."

Her head dipped as a deep blush rose against her cheeks. "Thank you." She made to turn around but he stopped her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Something missing," he whispered, his head dipped so the words played against her neck.

Elizabeth stiffened at his closeness, not at all comfortable with the situation. But, like always, she kept her mouth shut. Sonny may be the perfect gentleman now, but she didn't want to find out what happened when he got angry. Her eyes closed as her fear rose but opened again when she felt something cool slide against her neck to rest heavily against her chest.

"There," Sonny smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she stared at the large diamond resting against her pale skin. "Perfect."

It was far from perfect, she thought as tears made her eyes glisten. Growing up wealthy, she was used to lavish gifts. So used to them that she had grown to hate them.

Sonny might be doing this to be nice, but she couldn't wear it. She could feel it burning a whole against her chest. "Sonny, I-I can't accept this."

"Yes you can," he smiled as he turned her. His closeness still bothered her. "It's a gift and it would be rude to decline it."

Her body went so still she couldn't breathe. There was a teasing in his expression but she couldn't see past the fear clouding her eyes. Nodding, she swallowed, moved past him. "Thank you."

"Are you ready?"

No.

"Yes."

* * *

The ride to the restaurant took forever but not long enough, Elizabeth thought as Max—her favorite guard—opened the limo door for her. He held her hand as she stepped out and stared at the two men standing guard outside the restaurant doors. She should be used to this. Seeing men who were supposed to be ignored but stood out like sore thumbs. She grew up with these types of men, and now she was married to a man who had guards and they went places that required guards.

But she wasn't used to it.

She jolted in surprise when Sonny took her arm, hooking it with his. She smiled shyly when he looked down at her as the two of them made their way into the restaurant.

Everyone was already there. She could see all the men who showed up for her quick, yet extravagant wedding. They all reminded her of lechers. Little men who dressed up in fancy suits with greasy hair and snarls for lips.

Her gaze moved around the private room they were led to and when she saw the broad back of a younger man, she stopped cold. The man seemed so familiar that she wanted to run up to him and demand that he turn around so her rapid heart would stop beating so hard.

It was like he heard her, turning around and nodding with what seemed like relief once he saw Sonny. His hair was different, longer than she remembered, but everything else about him was the same.

His face, so hard yet soft to the touch. His lips, lips she could still feel pressed against her own when she thought about his kisses. His eyes…

Clear blue eyes like the ocean. And they were staring at her, showing just as much shock as she felt.

Her heart stopped its hard beating, most likely because it stopped beating all together as they stared at each other.

This couldn't be.

How?

She felt light headed, standing only because Sonny wrapped his arm around her. She licked her dry lip several times and when she finally spoke, it was a strangled whisper.

"Jason?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Everything around her was a daze.

No one in the room seemed to exist except for Jason. The arm wrapped around her waist was foreign to her as her stare locked on that of a man she had thought she would never see again. At times, that thought had crushed her heart. But, when she allowed herself to think about how he had left her and all that happened to her after that night so long ago, she could only continue to exist because of that thought.

She had never wanted to see him again, thought she never would.

But, standing there, her lips slightly parted with tiny gasps of air pushing through, she admitted that it was _so_ good to see him. She wanted so much to run into his arms, to hold on tight and never let him go.

Like she should have done that night.

But she hadn't and he hadn't stayed and now everything was different.

What was he doing there anyway? How was it that after all this time they were in each others lives again? She almost asked him, in front of Sonny's businessmen and… _Sonny_. Snapping her gaze away from Jason's, Elizabeth turned her head slightly to peer up at her husband. Her mouth was tilted in a slight smile, her way of trying to seem calm and normal though her heart was racing a mile a minute.

As she met the confused stare of her husband, Elizabeth's smile turned what she thought was brighter. She knew now was not the time to get the answers to the many questions that ran through her head. Not with so many people around, and not with her husband standing right beside her. "Aren't," she started off sounding so weak that she cleared her throat, attempting again. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth could see Jason's head tilt to the side. A piece of hair fell against his forehead and her hand itched to smooth it away. To touch him.

She wouldn't look at him. If she did, she knew she would break down and give in, causing a scene. But when Sonny's forehead creased into a bigger frown, Elizabeth could feel her pulse racing and looked away, her gaze colliding with Jason's.

His expression didn't help. He was looking at her like he had never looked at her before. Confusion and anger radiated off of him and when she allowed herself to look deeper, Elizabeth sensed longing in his expression—at least somewhere deep within her hoped for that to be longing.

Sonny clearing his throat brought Elizabeth's attention back to him. "Jason, this is my wife, Elizabeth." Elizabeth felt her lips twitching but she couldn't quite smile. It was too hard. "Elizabeth, this is… Jason. But you already knew that," Sonny quickly added. "How?"

Elizabeth was always able to think fast on her feet. When her father would come to her about something that might have happened in school or with a boy, she would always be able to smooth his feathers… most of the time. It was a trait she had learned through time _because_ of her father. Apologizing never pacified him. He would always expect one, but it was never enough. And that's when she learned to lie.

In this case, it seemed like old habits die hard. "I just… assumed. You said your best friend was going to be here and since he's the only one I don't recognize, I figured he was Jason. Plus, Emily can't praise her brother enough and Jason here fit her description." It was a lie, of course. The only information she had ever gotten from Emily about her brother was that he was Sonny's best friend. Elizabeth couldn't recall her friend even mentioning her brother's name.

Truth was Elizabeth knew Emily never did. If she had, the name Jason would have triggered some type of memory about her Jason. Ironic that her Jason ended up to be this Jason.

She could tell both men were looking at her with different types of confusion. Sonny wondering why she was wrung so tight, Jason wondering why she was lying. Trying to get past this, Elizabeth thrust out her hand, finally able to smile what was one of her best "fake" smiles at Jason. "It's nice to meet you."

She didn't look him in the eyes, rather focusing her gaze just below. Her hand stayed in midair for a long moment and she almost ran out of the room in pure fear of what could happen until Jason slowly lifted his hand, engulfing hers with his. His hand held hers lightly and released hers instantly as if it burned. It hurt, the way he reacted to her touch, but it shouldn't have surprised her.

The last time she saw him he hurt her heart in the worst possible way. Why change now?

"Are you ok?" she heard Sonny whisper lowly in her ear.

"I'm fine."

"You're shaking and you look pale. What's wrong?"

Elizabeth ducked her head for a moment, trying in earnest to recover from her shock of seeing Jason and the moments since. Shaking under control, she placed her hand on his forearm, looking at him from beneath her lashes. "I'm just a little nervous. This meeting's important to you and I don't want to mess anything up."

Sonny's dimples appeared as he hugged her tighter before showing her to her seat. "You'll be fine, trust me."

She only nodded. But when Elizabeth looked up and saw Jason take the seat right across from her, she knew that she would be anything but fine.

* * *

His first thought was to drag her out of that room and demand to know what the hell was going on. For months he had searched for her and found nothing. Yet, here she was all along, married to his best friend.

The woman who claimed to love him, the woman he was more than willing to lay his life down for was now married to his best friend. And Sonny had no idea who she was.

She looked beautiful, he allowed that as his brooding gaze drifted from the bottle he held tightly in his hand to her. Her eyes were downcast, like she was afraid to look at him. He wanted her to look at him so he could figure out what the hell was going on with her. He was pretty good at reading people and since the moment he had met Elizabeth almost two years ago she was always an open book, her emotions lying on the surface for him to see. That was one of the things he loved about her the most. He never had to guess with her. They just always _got_ each other.

Until the night he left her. He could never forgive himself for what happened that night or forget how her face had changed, how she looked at him like she didn't even know him.

It was a look he carried around with him for months while he was helping Sonny out by tracking down a man in the Deluca organization. It was a look that caused him to drink many nights when he came back and found her gone, no where to be found.

But here she was and he couldn't even pull her against him and hug her like he wanted to the second he saw her walk in. When their eyes had connected, Jason stopped breathing and forgot about everyone else in the room. He even took a step closer to her, seconds away from pulling her against him and kissing her. But when he caught her scared look as she whispered his name, it gave him pause. That's when he realized that she was on Sonny's arm, looking like the perfect couple.

It made him sick, hearing Sonny call Elizabeth his wife. It was that moment Jason was finally able to know what it felt like to want to wake up from a bad dream.

Only, he didn't dream. It was all real and it killed him.

He turned his attention away from Elizabeth when he was asked a question about how it felt to be home or something like that. He couldn't recall and didn't care. He answered and that was all that mattered.

He tried to focus on the conversation or even his food, but he couldn't. His gaze always turned back to Elizabeth. Every once in a while, her eyes would flicker towards his and then look away quickly. It disturbed him to see her so withdrawn into herself. He also didn't like how skinny she looked. He could tell she wasn't eating right just by how she pushed her food around with her fork, never once taking a bite.

She played the dutiful wife, that was for sure. She smiled at all the right times, laughed at crude jokes made that normally would have caused her to narrow her eyes and give the offender a measured look. She was a shell of herself and every damn time Sonny placed his hand on her arm Jason wanted to rip it off.

His fingers clenched into a fist as her hand covered Sonny's while she smiled up at him. There were a lot of questions he needed answered and Jason didn't think he could make it through the rest of dinner to find out. It was in his nature to not keep things from Sonny, but he would follow Elizabeth's game for now.

But once he found out why she neglected to tell him she was the daughter of a local mob boss, why she left Italy and hid from him, and how they hell she ended up married to his best friend when _they_ were the ones in love, Jason was going to have to figure out a way to explain it to his best friend.

At the moment, that seemed impossible.

* * *

The knob was cool against her palm as Elizabeth quietly turned it, opening her door slowly. Her room was across the hall from Sonny's and Elizabeth did _not_ want to wake him up by making any noises. She had some answers to get; knowing now was most likely the best time to get those answers without causing suspicion from Sonny. He was already curious about her reaction to Jason; she didn't need to add anymore confusion by walking over to his penthouse while Sonny was awake and trying to find an excuse to explain why she was going there.

So, at 3:30 in the morning, Elizabeth found herself tip-toeing down the stairs of her penthouse after spending the past three hours standing in front of her mirror talking to herself about what she would say to him the moment she saw him. She went back and forth between wanting to throw herself in Jason's arms and kiss him soundly to knocking him upside the head for doing this to her.

She was not even close to being over him, no matter how much she told herself she hated him. But she was able to breathe easily knowing that she was never going to see him again. Yet, here he was, in her life again yet not as she would have wanted it. She was married to another man and Jason was that mans best friend, his enforcer for crying out loud.

She almost paused as her bare feet hit the first floor of the apartment, but she kept walking, telling herself that it was now or never. Really, she would have loved to find out what was going on during the ride back to the Towers, but that was impossible with Sonny sitting in the same limo.

It had unnerved Elizabeth when she found out that Jason was going to be riding home with them. A part of her was excited because she knew he wasn't going to disappear again, but a part of her wanted to crawl into a corner rather than sit in the same limo as him and Sonny.

From the way he looked at her all night, Elizabeth was sure that he hated her. Whether it was because she told him she hated him that fateful night or because she lied earlier, she didn't know.

All she knew was that her life was about to erupt even more than it already had by coming back to Port Charles and having to marry Sonny.

That fresh reminder made Elizabeth even more determined to march across the hall to where she saw Jason enter the second they stepped off the elevator after dinner. For all his staring he did during dinner the jerk couldn't even say two words on the ride home, on the ride in the elevator, or even before he slammed into his apartment earlier.

As she opened the door, Elizabeth was startled to find Max standing there, turning quickly to look down at her with alarm. "Is everything ok, Mrs. Corinthos?"

She was so shocked to see him, calling herself all types of stupid for forgetting that there was always a guard outside the door, that Elizabeth took several moments to realize he asked her a question. Shaking out of her stupor, Elizabeth took a step back, tucking her hair behind her ear in a nervous habit. It was sick how well she was able to come up with a story. "I…I couldn't sleep and I thought I'd come down here and see how you're doing."

His alarmed look turned to confusion, causing Elizabeth to quickly add, "It can't be all that great standing out here all night while you should be sleeping. I feel bad for you so I thought I'd ease my guilt by seeing if you needed anything."

Seeing the goofy smile and blush that changed the guard's expression once more, Elizabeth began to feel like a jerk. Max had been nothing but nice to her since she moved in three months ago and here she was lying to him while he stood outside her door to protect her. He deserved better than this but she couldn't explain to him what was really going on. The best she could do was at least offer him something. "Would you like a cup of coffee? I could whip up some brownies if you want."

Max dipped his head, shaking it as well. "I'm fine, Mrs. C. I wouldn't mind coming here later to find some brownies waiting for me, though. After you get some sleep, of course," he added with a stern expression though his eyes were lit with humor.

Elizabeth only nodded, turning around to walk back into the penthouse. The door was just about to close when Max called out to her. "It's a pleasure to look out for you." With that, he closed the door.

Elizabeth felt a hint of tears gathering in her eyes as her throat began to close. So much was going wrong with her life but there were some she could count on. Max being at the top of her list.

Jason used to be at the top. Hell, he used to be the only name on that list. For so long it was only the two of them, living life to the fullest. And now, they couldn't even act like they knew each other and she didn't know why that was. She started it; acting like she didn't know him, but what else was she supposed to do?

Run to him and kiss him in front of her husband?

Shoulders sagging in defeat, Elizabeth placed her foot on the first step when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist as a hand clamped down over her mouth.

Her gasp echoed through the living room as she felt herself being dragged.


End file.
